Local political decisions can hurt real human beings. Elected officials who don’t understand that reality — or worse, don’t care — need to ask themselves why they are in office. Pass a generic law, no matter how well-intentioned, and any responsible official aware of its unintended consequences should work to mitigate its harm.

That issue arose last week at Marin’s Board of Supervisors meeting when Southern Marin Supervisor Kate Sears threw her constituents Susan and Brian Telford under the proverbial bus. Sears failed her basic duty to keep an eye out for a local business which will be harmed by the unintended consequences of a new county ordinance.

The thrust of the law that bans sale of e-cigarettes and vaping products in unincorporated areas is excellent. Both e-cigarettes and vaping have become entryways for teenage smoking and need to be actively discouraged.

The definition used for these products includes flavored tobacco. Fact: Almost all pipe tobacco is flavored. The law, now passed, will likely put out of business exactly one Marin small family retail store: Telford’s Pipe and Tobacco in unincorporated Strawberry. Telford’s doesn’t sell e-cigarettes or vaping equipment. What it does sell is pipes, pipe tobacco and cigars. Their clientele is almost exclusively 40 years old and older. Don’t believe me? Drop by Telford’s and check it out. It looks like your father’s den.

The shop is owned by a San Rafael couple, Brian and Susan Telford. They employ eight people, pay substantial taxes and are good citizens obeying the law. They asked supervisors for a reasonable accommodation: grandfather them in or create a carve-out for strictly adult tobacconists. It’s a step other jurisdictions have taken, because officials elsewhere with a whit of common sense understand that no teenager has any desire to strut around mimicking Gen. Douglas MacArthur puffing on his corncob or Sherlock Holmes pondering crimes with a meerschaum.

Sears represents the area along Highway 101 where Telford’s is situated. A word from her would have done the trick and saved good-paying jobs. Supervisorial courtesy means that her colleagues would have likely deferred and county health officials pushing the law would have been hard-pressed to argue Telford’s presents any risk to teenagers. Instead, Sears was silent. The Telford family’s livelihood was irrelevant to the second-term supervisor.

Twenty percent of the Telford’s business will now be lost. Survival will be touch-and-go for the couple. Their biggest worry is that five years are left on their lease. Landlords tend to not be forgiving even when the tenant’s demise is caused by oblivious politicians.

Smoking — including pipe smoking — is not healthy. Nor are marijuana, alcohol, fast food, red meat and fried chicken good for you. What we don’t need is Kate Sears or any other “I know best” politician telling adults not to eat a hot dog or puff on a pipe. Elected officials do need to worry about children, but politicians like Sears are advised to simultaneously protect their law-abiding, tax-paying, hard-working small businessmen and women from governmental overreach.

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The total incineration of the Butte County municipality of Paradise was one more warning of the impact of climate change on California. It’s November and fire season should be well over by now. Instead, there’s no sign of rain.

The loss of at least 42 lives in Paradise was partially due to the town’s geography. Its townspeople had only two roads to safety. Some Marin neighborhoods only have one exit route.

Whether compiled by cities, fire districts or neighborhood associations, each Marinite — no matter where he or she lives — must have instant access to plans showing at least two alternative means to escape a fast-moving fire on a dry, windy day.